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Friday, August 07, 2009 10:38:10 AM
WLSA ~ The Ontario Power Authority set up a program that would support the early development of energy from-waste facilities in the province. In Port Hope, Ontario, Sunbay Energy Corp. is proposing a waste to energy facility operating under plasma gasification technology. An alternative to overflowing landfills and hazardous incinerators is long overdue. Under the Kyoto Protocol Canada pledged to lower Green House Gas emissions by 2012.
Renewable energy incentives will spur economic development in the alternative energy industry. Take for instance a $14.1 billion investment in the Ontario electricity system that began in 2005 and will continue through 2013. http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/Page.asp?PageID=924&ContentID=6886
Several newspapers have reported on the behind-the-scenes activity to alternative energy and incentives being established as a result of the Green Energy Act in Ontario.
Green Energy Act Overview.
February 23, 2009
Location: Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Green Energy and Economy Act, 2009: Bill 150
The Hon. George Smitherman, Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, introduced Bill 150. Bill 150 is intended to fast track a broad range of new renewable generation facilities, to establish a culture of conservation in Ontario, and to facilitate the inclusion of First Nations and Métis communities in the "green energy economy".
The entire GEA may also be seen as a climate change initiative. Through the increased development of renewable energy projects, Ontario’s overall carbon footprint may be reduced over time. This will have implications for the province’s contribution to federal and other emissions reductions targets.
How this applies to Sunbay Energy:
The sweeping changes replace the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program (RESOP) with a system of feed-in tariffs and power pricing based on project criteria.
It will now be easier for renewable energy projects to move through the approvals process and connect to the provincial electricity grid.
According to Linda Thompson, Mayor of Port Hope, Ontario, home of the Sunbay Port Hope Project:
"Now is the time for the public and private sector to work together to build essential infrastructure and create sustainable employment. The opportunity this opens for world-class energy projects that also protect the environment, like Sunbay Port Hope, could be a huge step forward for the Province."
Mayor Earle Freeborn, Mayor of Chapleau, Ontario, home of the Chapleau Biomass Project:
"These are great projects at any time, but right now we need good news more than ever. Passing the Green Energy Act will support the success of the Chapleau Biomass Project, and that in turn will support the success of our community."
Jordan Oxley, President of Sunbay Energy:
"This is clearly a major boost for renewable energy and the environment. We applaud Premier McGuinty, Minister Smitherman, the Liberal Cabinet and Caucus, and all Members from all parties that support this initiative. The Green Energy Act will motivate developers like Sunbay to build more projects, sooner, and that means a healthier environment and quality jobs."
Key Features of Bill 150:
•Creation of a Renewable Energy Facilitation Office
•Streamlined Approvals Process
•Feed-In Tariff Program
•Expedited Connections for Renewable Power Projects
•Planning Act Exemptions
•Conservation and Demand Management Directives
•Smart Grid
•Generation by Municipal Electric Utilities
•Renewable Energy Cooperatives
http://www.sunbayenergy.com/about_us_green_energy_act.php
The Toronto Star reports that movement away from landfills and incineration and towards thermal treatment of waste, is a long overdue move for a technology with significant potential.
Support for energy from waste is long overdue.
May 26, 2008
TYLER HAMILTON
It largely slipped under the radar, but back in February the government directed the Ontario Power Authority to set up a program that would support the early development of energy from-waste facilities in the province.
Energy Minister Gerry Phillips, in a letter addressed to power authority chief executive Jan Carr, cited the need to test and evaluate new technologies that can turn municipal solid waste into electricity. Already, he pointed out, the government has streamlined the environmental approvals needed to build and operate such demonstration plants.
"The goal of the initiative is to encourage the development of new or improved energy from-waste technologies with improved environmental performance," wrote Phillips, hinting that the power authority should be prepared to pay 10 cents per kilowatt-hour for any demonstration project that falls within the initiative.
It's a long overdue move for a technology with significant potential.
We're not talking incineration here, despite attempts by critics to brand it as such. There's no burning involved.
What the technology does is use intense heat to break down the molecular structure of the waste. Once this is done, bad molecules are removed and the rest is chemically engineered into clean-burning synthetic gas – similar to natural gas. This "gasification" process is not squeaky clean, but it's better than the alternatives it aims to replace, including landfills on the waste side and coal on the energy side.
The government's directive is encouraging, given the fact that several communities in Ontario – including Durham and York Regions, Hamilton, Sault-Ste. Marie and Ottawa – are moving forward with energy-from-waste plans whether the province supports them or not. They've got a garbage crisis, and if new technologies can manage that problem in an economical way and contribute some clean energy to the grid, why not take a look?
Some – though not all – environmentalists are deeply suspicious and skeptical, and this is understandable. The "technologists" have been making claims since the 1980s about how garbage can be turned into energy gold in an environmentally responsible way. Some municipalities bought the sales pitch, and got burned. Many facilities never got built or failed to deliver on promises, and ended up instead at the centre of nasty legal battles.
But there's good reason to believe this time is different:
• The technology has dramatically improved.
• Engineers have become much better at controlling the chemical reactions required to bust up and re-assemble garbage molecules.
• Approaches have become more efficient.
• Attention to emission reductions has become a priority.
• And real-time monitoring of pollutants allows for heightened public scrutiny.
• The fact that General Electric is getting into the energy-from-waste business is, on its own, a telling sign that the technology has matured.
The economic case is also better. Twenty years ago the tipping fee to send garbage to a landfill wasn't breaking the municipal bank. Today, the cost of transporting Toronto's residual waste to Michigan and paying a landfill to take it has ballooned.
If an energy-from-waste facility can collect that tipping fee instead, and sell the power they produce to a province willing to buy it, the argument that these technologies are "too expensive" fades away.
There are still some challenges to overcome. Gasification is much easier when it's done with a single material, such as wood waste or plastic containers, where the molecular structure is predictable and consistent. Municipal solid waste is a bit trickier because of the variety of garbage it contains – after metals are removed from the stream, what's left is a hodgepodge of plastics, papers, fibres, wood waste and in some places food waste.
GE, and startups such as Plasco Energy, Enquest and Ze-Gen are among the many companies out there fine-tuning the approach. Others, such as Enerkem, Coskata and Cleantech Biofuels are taking similar paths but, instead of producing gas, they're producing ethanol for transportation.
Such challenges are why demonstration facilities are so important. Without them, how will we know they work as promised? And if they do, how can they be properly showcased to the cautiously optimistic? "I think there's nothing wrong with trying out new technologies and seeing what's possible," says Michael Angemeer, CEO of local electric utility Veridian Corp.
Angemeer, also vice-chair of the Durham Strategic Energy Alliance, was part of a mission to Europe last June that toured energy-from-waste facilities in Scandinavia and the Netherlands. He walked away impressed with what's possible if proper attention is placed on emissions.
"The trip was eye-opening," he says. "In Europe they don't consider this as waste; they consider this a fuel like any other fuel."
Energy-from-waste facilities aren't a silver bullet. They shouldn't be relied on. They shouldn't replace recycling and other diversion programs that make sense. They shouldn't stop us from demanding laws that forbid unnecessary packaging, or prevent the creation of policies that attack our throwaway culture.
But they have their place in a hierarchy of approaches, and to dismiss their potential could prove a mistake in the face of a growing waste problem and a certain energy crisis. The province, it appears, is wisely beginning to recognize this.
Tyler Hamilton's Clean Break appears Mondays. You may email him at thamilt@thestar.ca.
http://www.durhamenvironmentwatch.org/Media08/0526Support%20for%20energy%20from%20waste%20is%20long%20overdue.pdf
Renewable energy incentives will spur economic development in the alternative energy industry. Take for instance a $14.1 billion investment in the Ontario electricity system that began in 2005 and will continue through 2013. http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/Page.asp?PageID=924&ContentID=6886
Several newspapers have reported on the behind-the-scenes activity to alternative energy and incentives being established as a result of the Green Energy Act in Ontario.
Green Energy Act Overview.
February 23, 2009
Location: Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Green Energy and Economy Act, 2009: Bill 150
The Hon. George Smitherman, Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, introduced Bill 150. Bill 150 is intended to fast track a broad range of new renewable generation facilities, to establish a culture of conservation in Ontario, and to facilitate the inclusion of First Nations and Métis communities in the "green energy economy".
The entire GEA may also be seen as a climate change initiative. Through the increased development of renewable energy projects, Ontario’s overall carbon footprint may be reduced over time. This will have implications for the province’s contribution to federal and other emissions reductions targets.
How this applies to Sunbay Energy:
The sweeping changes replace the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program (RESOP) with a system of feed-in tariffs and power pricing based on project criteria.
It will now be easier for renewable energy projects to move through the approvals process and connect to the provincial electricity grid.
According to Linda Thompson, Mayor of Port Hope, Ontario, home of the Sunbay Port Hope Project:
"Now is the time for the public and private sector to work together to build essential infrastructure and create sustainable employment. The opportunity this opens for world-class energy projects that also protect the environment, like Sunbay Port Hope, could be a huge step forward for the Province."
Mayor Earle Freeborn, Mayor of Chapleau, Ontario, home of the Chapleau Biomass Project:
"These are great projects at any time, but right now we need good news more than ever. Passing the Green Energy Act will support the success of the Chapleau Biomass Project, and that in turn will support the success of our community."
Jordan Oxley, President of Sunbay Energy:
"This is clearly a major boost for renewable energy and the environment. We applaud Premier McGuinty, Minister Smitherman, the Liberal Cabinet and Caucus, and all Members from all parties that support this initiative. The Green Energy Act will motivate developers like Sunbay to build more projects, sooner, and that means a healthier environment and quality jobs."
Key Features of Bill 150:
•Creation of a Renewable Energy Facilitation Office
•Streamlined Approvals Process
•Feed-In Tariff Program
•Expedited Connections for Renewable Power Projects
•Planning Act Exemptions
•Conservation and Demand Management Directives
•Smart Grid
•Generation by Municipal Electric Utilities
•Renewable Energy Cooperatives
http://www.sunbayenergy.com/about_us_green_energy_act.php
The Toronto Star reports that movement away from landfills and incineration and towards thermal treatment of waste, is a long overdue move for a technology with significant potential.
Support for energy from waste is long overdue.
May 26, 2008
TYLER HAMILTON
It largely slipped under the radar, but back in February the government directed the Ontario Power Authority to set up a program that would support the early development of energy from-waste facilities in the province.
Energy Minister Gerry Phillips, in a letter addressed to power authority chief executive Jan Carr, cited the need to test and evaluate new technologies that can turn municipal solid waste into electricity. Already, he pointed out, the government has streamlined the environmental approvals needed to build and operate such demonstration plants.
"The goal of the initiative is to encourage the development of new or improved energy from-waste technologies with improved environmental performance," wrote Phillips, hinting that the power authority should be prepared to pay 10 cents per kilowatt-hour for any demonstration project that falls within the initiative.
It's a long overdue move for a technology with significant potential.
We're not talking incineration here, despite attempts by critics to brand it as such. There's no burning involved.
What the technology does is use intense heat to break down the molecular structure of the waste. Once this is done, bad molecules are removed and the rest is chemically engineered into clean-burning synthetic gas – similar to natural gas. This "gasification" process is not squeaky clean, but it's better than the alternatives it aims to replace, including landfills on the waste side and coal on the energy side.
The government's directive is encouraging, given the fact that several communities in Ontario – including Durham and York Regions, Hamilton, Sault-Ste. Marie and Ottawa – are moving forward with energy-from-waste plans whether the province supports them or not. They've got a garbage crisis, and if new technologies can manage that problem in an economical way and contribute some clean energy to the grid, why not take a look?
Some – though not all – environmentalists are deeply suspicious and skeptical, and this is understandable. The "technologists" have been making claims since the 1980s about how garbage can be turned into energy gold in an environmentally responsible way. Some municipalities bought the sales pitch, and got burned. Many facilities never got built or failed to deliver on promises, and ended up instead at the centre of nasty legal battles.
But there's good reason to believe this time is different:
• The technology has dramatically improved.
• Engineers have become much better at controlling the chemical reactions required to bust up and re-assemble garbage molecules.
• Approaches have become more efficient.
• Attention to emission reductions has become a priority.
• And real-time monitoring of pollutants allows for heightened public scrutiny.
• The fact that General Electric is getting into the energy-from-waste business is, on its own, a telling sign that the technology has matured.
The economic case is also better. Twenty years ago the tipping fee to send garbage to a landfill wasn't breaking the municipal bank. Today, the cost of transporting Toronto's residual waste to Michigan and paying a landfill to take it has ballooned.
If an energy-from-waste facility can collect that tipping fee instead, and sell the power they produce to a province willing to buy it, the argument that these technologies are "too expensive" fades away.
There are still some challenges to overcome. Gasification is much easier when it's done with a single material, such as wood waste or plastic containers, where the molecular structure is predictable and consistent. Municipal solid waste is a bit trickier because of the variety of garbage it contains – after metals are removed from the stream, what's left is a hodgepodge of plastics, papers, fibres, wood waste and in some places food waste.
GE, and startups such as Plasco Energy, Enquest and Ze-Gen are among the many companies out there fine-tuning the approach. Others, such as Enerkem, Coskata and Cleantech Biofuels are taking similar paths but, instead of producing gas, they're producing ethanol for transportation.
Such challenges are why demonstration facilities are so important. Without them, how will we know they work as promised? And if they do, how can they be properly showcased to the cautiously optimistic? "I think there's nothing wrong with trying out new technologies and seeing what's possible," says Michael Angemeer, CEO of local electric utility Veridian Corp.
Angemeer, also vice-chair of the Durham Strategic Energy Alliance, was part of a mission to Europe last June that toured energy-from-waste facilities in Scandinavia and the Netherlands. He walked away impressed with what's possible if proper attention is placed on emissions.
"The trip was eye-opening," he says. "In Europe they don't consider this as waste; they consider this a fuel like any other fuel."
Energy-from-waste facilities aren't a silver bullet. They shouldn't be relied on. They shouldn't replace recycling and other diversion programs that make sense. They shouldn't stop us from demanding laws that forbid unnecessary packaging, or prevent the creation of policies that attack our throwaway culture.
But they have their place in a hierarchy of approaches, and to dismiss their potential could prove a mistake in the face of a growing waste problem and a certain energy crisis. The province, it appears, is wisely beginning to recognize this.
Tyler Hamilton's Clean Break appears Mondays. You may email him at thamilt@thestar.ca.
http://www.durhamenvironmentwatch.org/Media08/0526Support%20for%20energy%20from%20waste%20is%20long%20overdue.pdf
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